State of emergency declared by New South Wales as Australia’s deadly bushfires rage

The Australian state of New South Wales has declared a state of emergency and could begin forced evacuations from fire-stricken areas. State Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Thursday that the emergency declaration would come into effect Friday morning as weather conditions are expected to deteriorate significantly on Saturday, raising the fire danger even further.

This is the third time NSW has declared a state of emergency in as many months — the last two times, in November and December, were also for seven days and granted extraordinary powers to the Rural Fire Service.

Berejiklian said residents could also be subject to forced evacuations, road closures and any other means necessary to keep people safe.

The Australian fires have been burning for months now, and aren’t likely to stop anytime soon — Australia is still in the early months of summer, and temperatures typically peak in January and February. “The fire season still has a long time to run,” Morrison said in a news conference.

A total of 17 people have died across the country so far, with the most damage concentrated in NSW. Across the state, nearly 1,300 homes have been destroyed and another 442 damaged, according to the Rural Fire Service. Fires have consumed entire towns and ripped through bushland; the strong winds frequently change directions, which fan the flames and carry embers far distances.

Australia typically has a fire season during the dry, hot summer — but this year’s weather conditions are more extreme, leading to more devastating blazes. The country is gripped by one of the worst droughts in decades, and a heatwave broke nationwide records in December.

Source: CNN webpage